Eliot Spitzer slammed by rival in video

Disgraced former Gov. Eliot Spitzer is savaged in a new video by rival Scott Stringer in a new video that uses footage of the former governor’s resignation press conference after his hooker scandal. The two are running for city comptroller.

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The video is a potpourri of Spitzer’s rocky tenure, including his budget issues and the scandal known as “Troopergate”, in which he tried to use the state police to smear a political rival.

Spitzer spokesman Hari Sevugan slammed the Stringer campaign for the video, which is not an ad and isn’t appearing on television.

“It’s sad but not surprising that Mr. Stringer’s first commercial in this race is a negative, attack ad filled with mischaracterizations about Eliot and his record,” he said. “Just as we saw with the shadowy outside groups that are pouring in outside money to prop up Mr. Stringer’s flailing candidacy, this ad is another sign that that establishment is getting nervous that an independent voice fighting for the people’s interest will soon be in the comptroller’s office.”

Sevugan added that “the truth” is that Spitzer, as governor and attorney general, “stood up to powerful interests on behalf of every-day New Yorkers, while others stood by silently.”

The video marks a turn for Stringer, who said shortly after Spitzer got into the race that he wouldn’t comment “personally” on Spitzer’s resignation.

“I don’t want to do get into Eliot Spitzer’s mishigas,” Stringer said less than two weeks ago. He added that it wasn’t what “voters want to talk about” in an earlier interview this month.

But in the past two days, he has taken on a more aggressive tone — rapping Spitzer for criticizing Anthony Weiner.

Polls have shown that Stringer, who polls had shown as a virtually unknown quantity in New York, has gotten a spate of media attention in the last few weeks but Spitzer remains the favorite in the race.